Tackling the difficult subjects
One of the things apparent in the stories that come in to our competition is the way writers tackle difficult subjects.
There are various reasons for this, one of which is, of course, that difficult subjects make for dramatic stories. A story about two people getting on really well for 2,000 words can tend to be a touch on the boring side. Introduce something spiky into the narrative and your story comes alive.
Another reason writers tackle tough subjects is something that we often overlook, I think - that our words can have an effect on those who read them, that we can, in some small way, challenge the way people view the world.
It is not the same for every writer - some of our stories are there purely to entertain, to make the reader laugh, to make the reader smile, without challenging them at all.
That is fine, we all need that sense of escapism and it’s that variety that makes competitions like ours such a joy to be involved with.
John Dean